Kei Kamara sends Columbus Crew SC to Eastern Conference final

By foxsports
Published

COLUMBUS, Ohio --  

Waylon Francis sat on one knee, his back away from the penalty spot, as Kei Kamara stepped up to take what could've been a game-saving penalty for Crew SC. That means Francis missed the shock of MAPFRE Stadium when Kamara hit a tame shot towards the left corner that was saved by Montreal's Evan Bush.

But Kamara would make it up to the Crew SC fans in extra time, as he floated a header past Bush just inside the far post for the 112th minute winner and punched Columbus' ticket into the next round against the New York Red Bulls after Sunday's 3-1 win over Montreal.

But if it wasn't for Ethan Finlay, the game would have never needed an extra 30 minutes to be sorted out. "My goal isn't as big as the goal (Finlay) scored," Kamara admitted. "Because obviously that goal put us back into it."

After Jack McInerney rocketed a shot at Bush, the Montreal keeper parried it right into the path of Finlay, who blasted the ball into the net and sent the game into extra time.

"My biggest thing is always 'affecting the game.'' a reliefed Kamara said after the match. "And tonight ... you make a lot of back post runs and you're always there and it might not come to you nine out of 10 times, but the one time it does, you have to be Johnny on the spot. And I was."

Some complained that Finlay was offside, which only added to the controversy that abounded Sunday after Montreal was awarded a goal that appeared to be offside and Crew SC were awarded a soft penalty. Columbus seemed to be given a lifeline in the 67th minute when Finlay was pushed down running out of the Impact's penalty area with time running out for them to level the series on aggregate.

That's when match Armando Villarreal referee awarded a penalty to Crew SC. Kamara missed it and Crew SC's season seemed to be over. It seemed more like a horror film for Columbus after that miss and, already 1-0 up, when Dilly Duka found himself in a couple of yards of space within Crew SC's box in the 40th minute and duly struck the ball past a helpless Steve Clark. Many pundits and fans judged that Duka was offside, as he was a couple feet in front of any Columbus' defenders, but the referee judged that the ball deflected off a Crew SC player and Duka's equalizer stood.

The game changed after that goal and the Impact looked the aggressors for much of the beginning of the second half, picking off any forward-looking Columbus pass and regularly breaking Crew SC's high press that had been so effective in the opening 30 minutes.

Crew SC had scored in the 4th minute, after Francis went end line and produced a superb cross that Kamara glanced past Bush for the game's first goal. And when the game seemed destined for penalties, Kamara produced the winner, which Francis and Cedrick Mabwati helped create from a similar position as the first. Kamara's far post header sealed the game and the series.

In a night where Didier Drogba was held quiet and all seemed lost, Kamara found the answer. Francis may have turned his back on Kamara in the 67th minute, but he joined him in celebration at the end and the two proved pivotal in the win. Crew SC finally got their playoff win after two years of waiting and their first series win in 20 years.

"Obviously Kei was pissed," Finlay said. "And for him to come back and score the game-winning goal, I think it was just a story book ending."